Benefits of AR in Education: Uses and Importance

With the advancement in Technology, ways of delivering education are changing everyday. A few decades ago, conventional classroom-based learning was probably the only mode of conventional learning. But, now even eLearning is gaining equal popularity as classroom-based learning. And to make eLearning interesting, the organizations use different types of advanced technologies, one of them being Immersive Technology.  

Immersive Technology basically consists of Augmented Reality Services, Virtual Reality Services, Mixed Reality Services, and 360 Technology. All of them have their special importance in the field of education. Today, we will talk about the uses, benefits, and importance of Augmented Reality (AR) in education. But, before that, it is important to understand what AR is, and how it is different from other immersive technologies. So, let’s begin!

What is Augmented Reality (AR)? How Is It Different From VR?

Augmented Reality modifies the real-life experience of the user. It basically supplements the real environment with graphics, sound, and virtual characters or objects. Hence, it is not fully virtual, as VR. That is why it has even wider applications in education. As AR can be augmented into the real world, the educational institutions often use it to develop immersive classrooms for their learners, which is otherwise not that easy to create using virtual reality. 

There are many differences between Augmented Reality Services and Virtual Reality Services. Some of the most notable ones are tabulated below.

Augmented Reality (AR)Virtual Reality (VR)
Augmented Reality takes help of real-world settings.Virtual Reality does not have any relation with the real-world. It is completely virtual. 
An AR-based environment is mostly a user-controlled environment. A VR-based environment is a strictly system-controlled environment. 
AR is very easy to access, as it requires only a smartphone. VR is not that easy to access, as it requires advanced tools like immersive headgears. 
Augmented Reality can be used to enhance user experience in the real world, in addition to the virtual world. Virtual Reality can enhance the virtual world only, it cannot penetrate to the real world.   

Important Uses of AR in Education

Augmented Reality is used for a vast number of purposes in the field of education. Let’s have a look at some of its most prominent uses.

Immersive Classrooms

As discussed above, Augmented Reality helps to make classrooms interactive. Can’t understand what it actually means? Let’s take an example. 

Suppose one of your learners struggles in 3D Geometry. Most of the time, it is associated with their difficulty to imagine the 3D shapes. So, using interactive classrooms, your learners can actually experience the 3D shapes, which will help them to understand the topics better! 

Such classrooms can be used to visualize any topic, which helps the learners to understand them in a better way.                           

AR-Based Learning Applications

eLearning applications can be a lot more interesting and interactive using the AR-VR solutions. These learning applications generate immersive lessons. For example, if a learner is learning a history lesson, then they could actually see the whole story in front of their eyes, as if it is happening just in front of them.              

Gamified Assessments

Even the exams can be fun-filled, using augmented reality services. Augmented Reality is one of the best tools for developing gamified assessments. Most of the eLearning companies use AR to generate games that assess their learners on regular intervals, without increasing any academic burden on them. 

Benefits of Using AR in Education

Using Augmented Reality adds multiple new dimensions to education. It makes learning fun and experiential. Let’s have a look at some of its benefits in detail. 

Making It Interesting

It is one of the biggest and obvious benefits of using AR for education. AR-based learning content, application, and classrooms increase the interest of learners by many folds. They start enjoying the learning process.                    

Complex Concepts Made Simple

Many times, instructors use AR solutions to explain the complex concepts. AR-based visualizations make understanding the concepts very easy. As, the learners can actually see and feel the topics in front of their eyes.                 

Improved Memory Retention

Studies have shown that experiential learning using AR improves the memory retention of the learners. They can remember the concepts for a longer duration of time. Also, they can relate to the concepts in a much better way.                  

Reduced Cost

Many institutions use AR to generate virtual laboratories, and virtual trips to historical places. It saves them the cost of organizing a real field trip or maintaining a full-time laboratory. Hence, AR helps in efficient utilization of budgets.                   

Increased Interactions

Using Augmented Reality services, the educational institutions can increase the interactions between learners and instructors, even during online learning. It can be efficiently done using virtual classrooms, which feels just like the real classrooms. 

Conclusion

Using the Augmented Reality Services, the institutions develop interactive classrooms, increase learner’s interaction and memory retention. In short, the learners can enjoy more, understand more, and remember more! That is why, over 80% of the instructors worldwide currently have access to AR/VR applications. And their use is expected to grow even further in future!